French Tourism Companies Want Special Police Force Amid Safety Fears

PARIS - France's tourism sector on Tuesday urged French authorities to set up a special police force in Paris to fight crime targeting tourists as safety fears curb the number of visitors to the French capital.

Foreign tourist arrivals to France could fall 4 to 5 percent this year following Islamic militant attacks and repeated robberies against Asian tourists, warned Alliance 46.2, a group representing firms that rely on foreign visitors.

Its members include department store chain Galeries Lafayette and holiday group Club Med and AccorHotels.

"The image of France has deeply deteriorated, and it's likely that 2017 will still feel the impact. The recovery may therefore be long," it said.

An armed robbery against reality TV star Kim Kardashian on Monday only exacerbates the situation.

French police officers stand outside the residence
FILE - French police officers stand outside the residence of Kim Kardashian West in Paris, Oct. 3, 2016, after she was robbed at gunpoint Sunday..

The decline in visitor figures, if confirmed, would be the steepest in 40 years and put up to 30,000 jobs at risk in the struggling French tourism sector, the statement said.

Foreign tourists have avoided France since Islamic State gunmen killed 130 people in an attack in Paris last November.

On July 14, a gunman drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 86.

Investigators continue to work at the scene near t
FILE - Investigators continue to work at the scene near the heavy truck that ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores who were celebrating the Bastille Day, July 14 national holiday on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 15, 2016.

Islamist attacks have scared off thousands of tourists from Paris and its top attractions, helping rob the region of about 750 million euros ($850 million) in revenues, officials said on Tuesday.
Strikes and floods have also taken their toll, overshadowing the boost from the Euro 2016 soccer championships and leaving the tourism industry in need of massive new investment and a rescue package, they added.
"It's time to realize that the tourism sector is…

“We thought we might understand better what happened if we came here,” said Giorgio Jaquet, a tennis coach from Nice, gazing at one of many memorials that now mark a two-kilometer stretch of this city's Riviera beachfront promenade.“But we still don’t understand,” Jaquet added as he looked around at what was a scene of terror on Thursday night. “There were so many children.”Gently rocking a stroller with their 7-month-old baby…